Since I couldn't legally shoot deer till I was 12, my dad started me off with a Remington 243 with a straight 4x Leupold scope. I hated having a fixed scope, but it sure taught me to use my Binos to spot deer. I remember thinking the 243 kicked kind of hard at the time considering the only other rifle I had shot was a 22. After shooting tons of rabbits,squirrels and other small game, when the time came my dad knew I was ready for deer. Today I'm 37 yrs old and shoot that same exact gun but put a 3x9 on it. Whatever gun you go with make it one he will want to keep forever. Trust me, he will really appreciate it when he older!

I hunt cause I love going deep into the bush and I always shoot twice!!

My son and little brother both shoot 7mm-08. It's a great little round. I grew up on 243. Both work great on deer. Little bro killed a monster 7 point bull on a youth tag with his 7mm-08. The 140 grain bullets are nice. And both rifles have minimal recoil. Best of luck